SAFV: Round eight summary

Another Dramatic Zwartkops Formula Vee Race
Close racing, thrills and spills where once again the order of the day, as
a South African National Formula Vee Championship returned to the Zwartkops
Raceway, for round eight of the 2004 ...

Another Dramatic Zwartkops Formula Vee Race

Close racing, thrills and spills where once again the order of the day, as
a South African National Formula Vee Championship returned to the Zwartkops
Raceway, for round eight of the 2004 Championship.

The first heat, saw Alan Holm (JBS Laser Sprint Rhema 2) take the lead,
form pole position and although he stayed in front, he had to soak up a lot
of pressure throughout the race. Initially, it was a six car train at the
head of the field, with other battles raging all the way down the field as
well. Right on Holm's tail, for the entire race, was log leader Symm
Grobler (Auto Mecca Rhema 2). Grobler had lost his nose cone, when he nudge
the back of Holm, as they turned into turn two for the first time but was
tucked in so close to Holm, that it was not affecting the performance of
his car at all. Behind them, Jaco Schriks (JBS Laser Sprint Rhema 2), Peter
Hills (Vacuform Rhema), Anthony Taylor (Rigidek Rhema 2) and Lee Thompson
(08xconnect.com Rhema) made up the balance of the lead bunch.

Sixteen year old ex Karter Jonathan Vilaca (Vision), was out on his own, in
seventh place but behind him, another hectic battle raged, for the balance
of the points scoring positions. At the head of the bunch, was the always
difficult to pass Jannie Geyser (Vision), being hounded all the way by
development driver Benny Phetla (Vacuform Rhema), Cape Town's Doug
MacDonald (Rhema), Alan Kernick (Tasman) and by mid race, Tony Beecher had
hooked onto the bunch as well. They where swapping positions on a regular
basis, while behind them Kevin Cartmell (Rand Brake Sting) had broken away
from the next bunch, headed by Claude Cartmell, in the other Rand Brake
Sting, who had Bobby Nel (DK Office Furniture Lantis) and Bradley Martin
(Rhema 2) breathing down his neck.

Then Beecher had a moment, rejoining behind Kevin Cartmell and Nel spun,
coming into the pit straight. Martin was forced to lock up behind him and
just scraped past on the outside. For a few anxious moments, Nel was
stranded in the middle of the circuit, with the memory of being hit from
behind, in similar circumstances, at the previous Zwartkops meeting, still
fresh in his mind. This time, he was able to get the motor restarted and
continue but he pulled in at the end of the following lap, to retire.
Already out, was the Sting of John Lerm, which had come into the pits,
trailing a plume of blue smoke, after holing a piston.

The battles continued unabated and even those toward the back of the field,
like JP Nortje (Sting), Gareth Jackson (JBS Laser Sprint Sting) Kearn
Francis (Rhema) and Ashley Spada (Omega), where locked in battle. Then
Francis spun off and got bogged down in the gravel trap at Turn Two but
rejoined, with a lap to go and completed the race.

On the run to the flag, Grobler tried to get up alongside Holm but in the
end it was Holm, who beat Grobler to the line by 0,075 of a second. Having
worked his way through the bunch, Thompson took third, less than half a
second ahead Schriks, who had Hills and Taylor tucked in behind him. They
where followed across the line, by Vilaca, Geyser, Phetla, Kevin Cartmell,
Kernick and Claude Cartmell, after Phetla and MacDonald had tangled, on the
last lap. Kernick had been forced to leave the circuit, as he took avoiding
action but he rejoined, only to find the throttle jammed open and he had to
complete the lap, with the aid of the kill switch. Losing places to Kevin
Cartmell and Phetla, who had made a quick recovery from the incident.

The second heat promised more of the same and at the end of the first lap,
the field was still tightly bunched, as Holm led them across the line,
closely followed by Grobler, Hills, Schriks, Vilaca, Phetla, Taylor,
Geyser, Kernick, Mac Donald and Thompson, already up to eleventh place,
after starting from the back of the grid. Then all hell broke lose. Phetla
spun in Turn One and as he came around to face the oncoming traffic, all he
saw was cars baring down on him and then spinning and heading in all
directions, as those behind took avoiding action. With cars all over the
place and a big cloud of dust, Beecher chose to go straight on, across the
gravel trap and into the tyres, followed by Martin, who managed to stop
before the tyre barrier, as his side pods dug into the gravel. When the
dust had settled, they where surprise to find they where the only ones left
on the scene.

The incident had split up the field and scrambled the race order, behind
the first five cars. Taylor did not lose too much time, taking avoiding
action and as soon as he was facing the right way again, Phetla selected
second gear and followed Taylor away, followed by Kernick, Thompson, Claude
Cartmell, Nel and Manie Geldenhuis (Lagus), with MacDonald and Geyser being
among the last to get going again.

Just before half distance, Kevin Cartmell and MacDonald where looming up
behind Geldenhuis, ready to relieve him of twelfth place. Geldenhuis tried
to hold them off but later admitted, that his ambition had exceeded his
ability and he spun at Turn Two, resuming at the back of the field, without
his nose cone. Then with a couple of laps to go, Francis went off into the
gravel trap, at the top of the hill and the Safety Car was deployed. With
the field on their last lap, Francis got going again and as the Safety Car
headed off into the pit lane they accelerated away, only to find the
chequered flag awaiting them, as Grobler led the field through, closely
followed by Holm, Schriks, Hills, Taylor, Vilaca, Thompson, Phetla,
Kernick, Claude Cartmell, MacDonald and Kevin Cartmell, with the first
twelve cars across the line, within less than five and a half seconds!